Palestinian cabinet meeting
(31 Jul 2002) SHOTLIST Ramallah, West Bank 1. Exterior Yasser Arafat's office 2. Various of ministers arriving 3. Mid shot Saeb Erekat walking out 4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Saeb Erekat, Senior Palestinian negotiator: "The human catastrophe that is facing Palestinian people is the serious one, there is a serious treat of outbreak of diseases, there is a serious treat of starvation, and the key to solve all of this is for Israel to withdraw from the areas that were occupied, to lift the closure and the siege because that's the way to a meaningful political track, to a meaningful security track, to a meaningful economic track. If the Israelis would insist with continuation of a closure and the siege and the occupation, I think we will face a devastating human catastrophe at the West Bank and Gaza." 5. Cutaway cameras 6. Wide shot Erekat leaving Jerusalem 6. Establisher of Israeli government spokesman Raanan Gissin 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Raanan Gissin, Israeli government spokesman: "Maybe is about time that the Palestinian leadership understand that the only way that they can alleviate this very difficult conditions that their people live in and allow normal life to return back is to stop terrorist activity. That is crux of the issue, therefore we have been demanding all along and make it very clearly both to the Quartet as well as to the Bush administration that first and far most important of most important reforms that have to be conducted are reform in security forces" 8. Wide shot Gissin walking out STORYLINE: The Palestinian cabinet met in Ramallah on Wednesday in order to discuss the latest political developments, mainly the departure of a Palestinian delegation that will leave on Sunday to the United States. In addition to that, the Palestinian Authority decided not to accept a 15 (m) million US dollar payment Israel because of the conditions attached. Israel is demanding that the Palestinian Authority would use money for humanitarian purposes only. It was to be the first of three payments to the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority. Israel has withheld the tax revenues due the Palestinians for much of the past 22 months of fighting. Israel had been demanding international supervision of the money to ensure it wasn't used to fund Palestinian militants, but agreed to place the cash under the responsibility of the new Palestinian finance minister, Salam Fayed. That planned transfer is a small fraction of the estimated 600 (m) million US dollars in taxes and customs revenues that Israel has collected on behalf of the Palestinians. Israel stopped handing over the money shortly after the fighting broke out in September 2000. Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said after the meeting the occupation of West Bank and Gaza triggered 'serious human catastrophe' of the Palestinian people. In Jerusalem, Israeli government spokesman Raanan Gissin said his government would like to see significant reform of Palestinian security forces. Gissin said the Israeli security establishment has received more than 60 alerts in the past 10 days of pending suicide bombings. He said 12 bombers have been intercepted in the past week. Israel has blamed Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for attacks on its civilians, saying the Palestinian Authority has done nothing to stop militant groups. The Palestinians argue that Israel's military assaults on its cities and security forces have left them with little ability to prevent attacks. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
